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Frequently Asked Questions |
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Click on an item in the table of contents to find the question you are looking for and then click the question to get the answer.
Remember that you can also find the answers to your questions in the PMXpert User Manual, which is frequently updated, fully searchable and complete with a detailed index. You can find the manual Online or in the program (click Help). |
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Table of Contents: |
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A: Be sure to complete the information on the request form. Fill in your name, company name, phone number, email address and company address. You will be emailed within 1 business day from the receipt of your request. If the information is incomplete, we cannot contact you or send you an evaluation software download link. Contact our Sales Department at Sales@PMXpert.com or (306) 975-3737 if you have any more problems.
A: To purchase PMXpert Software, contact our Sales Department at Sales@PMXpert.com or (306) 975-3737 (press 1 for Sales). Please do not hesitate to ask for a free evaluation and live demo with our Sales Department.
A: We accept checks, money orders, wire transfers, Visa and MasterCard.
A: If you forget your username and password, first try to login with PMXpert’s default username "supervisor" and password "superv". If you still cannot enter the system, please contact Support at Support@PMXpert.com or (306) 975-3737.
A: Login to PMXpert by double clicking on the desktop icon. Enter "supervisor" for the username and "superv" for the password. To begin entering your own data, refer to Chapter 2: Setting Up PMXpert in the PMXpert User Manual, which can be accessed by going to Main Menu | Support | Manual on the website.
A: We offer Online and Offsite training, as well as in-house data entry. For a further description, go to Main Menu | Support | Training on our website. If you have more questions, please contact our Sales Department at Sales@PMXpert.com or (306) 975-3737.
A: You will receive a Setup Checklist from your trainer. Please complete the information as thoroughly as possible. Trainers need this information at least 2 weeks prior to training date. Your trainer will consult with you about any further requirements.
A: If you are logging into the Standard Edition, choose the Database you want to use: (1) Sampdata.mdb contains sample data illustrating the many capabilities of the software. With this database, you can see an example of how the software can be set up. However, do not enter your own data in the SampData.mdb file. (2) Data.mdb is a blank database that, once set up, will contain only information applicable to your own business. When you are ready to set up the software for your company, use this database. If you cannot find the database by clicking the drop-down list arrow, click the Find button and navigate to the correct database.
A: If you are logging into the Enterprise Edition, choose whether you will be using Windows Authentication or SQL Server Authentication, and fill in the fields below, which will vary depending on the option you chose. Consult the manual for instructions about installing and logging into the software. Go to Main Menu | Support | Manual on our website to find the manual.
A: No. However, the number of units that need to be monitored by the software at your facility determines which software package you should purchase. For more information about your options, contact your nearest Sales Department.
A: An unlimited number of users can use PMXpert.
A: Only English is supported.
A: No. However, you can create user fields, and in several areas, you can define your own categories, statuses, etc.
A: Yes. It is the Inactivity Timeout in System Settings.
A: Live support is available Monday to Friday 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. CST (available in English only). You must have a current Upgrade Protection Plan to access PMXpert Support.
Email: Support@PMXpert.com
Phone: (306) 975-3737
Fax: (306) 975-3739
A: You can take several measures to ensure the most efficient service from our Support Department:
(1) Be at your computer with the program running
(2) Know your User I.D. (a six-digit number found on the first screen of the program, which you can view by selecting Help | About)
(3) Know what platform your computer is running on and the type of network system
(4) Take note of what you were doing before the problem occurred and record the wording of error messages
(5) Prepare a complete list of questions explaining what you want to do and what problem is preventing you from doing that
A: Once you begin entering data into the program, you should probably back up your data once a day, minimum. This may seem like a lot, but think about how many days' worth of data entry you are willing to lose. Consider that if it takes one day to enter some data, it will probably take much longer to figure out what was lost and re-enter it all if you experience data loss. Backing up data does not have to be a complicated, time-consuming process. To learn how easy it is to set up a backup schedule, choose backup media and select key files to back up, refer to the PMXpert User Manual at Chapter 11: Utilities, Data Backup.
A: To view the minimum Software Requirements on our website, go to Main Menu | Software | Requirements.
A: Yes, the software is compatible with Windows 2000, but Windows XP is recommended.
A: The UPP is an annual support and upgrade contract. It provides access to:
(1) New and enhanced features developed in response to customer input, delivered through two scheduled Upgrades per year.
(2) Unlimited hot fixes and updates, delivered through periodic updates as required.
(3) Unlimited Technical Support via telephone, email and fax.
(4) Comprehensive user manual, available online or as a CHM or PDF document, regularly updated by our in-house Technical Writer.
(5) The PMXpert Connection, our quarterly newsletter, which provides company news, software feature demonstrations, helpful hints and promotions.
(6) The PMXpert Bulletin, which provides information about updates and upgrades for assisting technical staff with network maintenance.
(7) The PMXpert Support Website, which includes 24-hour access to the newest Downloads, frequently asked questions (FAQs), "What's New" (a list of latest enhancements), Bug Report forms, File Uploading and more.
A: Contact your Sales Department at Sales@PMXpert.com or (306) 975-3737 (press 1).
A: If you have a current Upgrade Protection Plan, you can download the most recent upgrade by logging into Support. Click on the Downloads tab and click on the most recent Update link.
However, if you need to upgrade from Version 9 to Version 10, please email our Support Department to secure a spot on our waiting list. All custom reports must be rebuilt before upgrading or they will be lost. Also, all data must be tested and verified by PMXpert Support before upgrading.
A: When a new version of our software is released, it contains new features, enhancements and fixes for any bugs in the previous version. Your system will run more smoothly when you update. A current Upgrade Protection Plan is required to update.
A: No. When you run an update, none of the information you have entered in the program will be lost or changed.
A: The Standard Edition uses MS Access databases, while the Enterprise Edition uses MS-SQL Server databases. Other than that, both editions are identical. You will require a special license file to run the Enterprise Edition. The evaluation version you received would be the Standard Edition.
A: Contact your Sales Department at Sales@PMXpert.com or (306) 975-3737 (press 1), and let them know that you would like a free demonstration and trial of the Enterprise Edition.
A: You can install PMXpert on as many machines as you want, create as many user profiles as you need, and log in as many users as you want at the same time.
A:
(1) Login to the Support area of the PMXpert website with your 6-digit User ID and Password.
(2) Click on the Downloads tab and click on the PMXpert Install link at the top.
(3) Save the PMXSetup.exe to your Desktop and double-click it.
(4) Click Run. The Installation Wizard will begin. Click [Next] to continue.
(5) The next screen contains the license information. Please read the agreement and click Agree if you accept the terms and conditions, or Disagree if you cannot accept them. If you disagree with the license agreement, you cannot continue. Click [Next] to continue.
(6) The next screen provides some information about Standard versus Enterprise. Read this and click [Next] to continue.
(7) You now have the option to Install as a New Installation or Update a Previous Version.
A: Find the complete instructions on how to install PMXpert from the PMXpert User Manual, under Chapter 1: Introduction. To locate the manual on the website, go to Main Menu | Support | Manual.
A: Select File | Update License from the program's main menu. Enter your User ID and Password and click OK. The Information dialog box should inform you that the license has been updated successfully. Click OK.
A: If you are in the program, go to Help | What's New. This page will display a list of program versions, with the latest at the top. If the version you are running is older, you can download the update. To check the version you are on, select Help | About. If you want to view updates on the web, log into the Support area of our website and look under the What's New tab.
A: To locate the Manual on the website, go to Main Menu | Support | Manual.
In the software program, select Help from the main menu and choose whether you want to Use Online Help or Use Local Help.
A: In the program, click on Help and select Download and Update Local Help. The program should download the updated files and inform you that the manual has been updated successfully. Note that you will need rights to write to the folder to which the Help file is saved. When the manual update is finished, click on Help and select Use Local Help. Then, select Help again and click on Contents to open the local CHM version of the user manual.
A: Yes, you can still find a PDF copy of the manual on this website by going to Main Menu | Support | Manual. However, it is strongly recommended that you try the Online or CHM versions of the manual because they have additional benefits such as clearer screenshots, a Search function and detailed Index. Because we frequently update the User Manual to ensure that it keeps up with new and enhanced features in the software, a printed copy of the manual will quickly become out-of-date.
A: Log in to Support.
To report a bug, click on the Bug Report tab and submit your information in the form.
To make a suggestion, click on the What's New tab, and click the "Suggest an Improvement" link. Note that participation of our UPP customers (customers who purchase our annual Upgrade Protection Plan) is our main source of new ideas for the software.
A: First, ensure that you are searching by the correct search term and that any relevant checkboxes are selected in the Find window. If that still does not work, you may not be searching under the correct header.
Look for the small RED ARROW that appears in one of the column headers. The program will search for records containing your search term in the column marked by the small red arrow.
For example, if you wanted to search for a contact by Last Name in the Find Company/Contact window, first click on the Last Name column header and then enter your search term in the Search For field. Matching records - contacts with last names that contain your search term - will appear.
A: A selection grid is a table of columns and rows listing a variety of related records. Most selection grids can be customized to suit your personal preferences. To alter the horizontal order of the columns, drag-and-drop a column into a new position. You may find it convenient to move important columns to the left so that you do not have to scroll to the right as often. To return to the default order and sizes, click the small empty cell to the left of the title row and select Reset Grid Customization.
A: A selection grid is a table of columns and rows listing a variety of related records. Note the RED ARROW in one of the column headers. It indicates the column header by which the records are sorted and the sort direction. Click on the header a second time to reverse the order of the records. To sort by a different parameter, choose a different header.
To sort by more than one column header, click on the header you want to sort by first. Then, hold down the Ctrl key while selecting the additional headings in the order by which you want the records sorted.
A: If an error pops up, click the Email or Print button on the left of the pop-up. An Error Information dialog opens, in which you should enter a detailed description of what happened. A brief explanation such as "I clicked the Edit button" is not enough. Describe the screen, tab and/or window that you are in and explain what you were trying to do. Sending a screenshot is not necessary. When you are done, click OK. If you printed the error report, fax it to Support.
After you send the error report to Support, shut down the program, re-start it and repeat the action that caused the error. Have other users try the same thing on their computers. If the error occurs again, send the error report to Support a second time, explaining that you could duplicate the error after restarting the application. You do not need to send more than two error reports for one error.
A: Select Setup | System Settings from PXMpert's main menu and click on the General tab. Under Header Buttons, select the checkboxes next to the header buttons that should appear across the top of the PMXpert screen. Even if a certain header button has been unselected and does not appear at the top of PMXpert, you can still access that screen by clicking View in PMXpert's main menu. For more information, refer to the User Manual, Chapter 2: Setting Up PMXpert, Step 3: System Settings, General.
A: Go to Setup | System Settings in the main menu and click on the General tab. Enter the number of minutes in the Inactivity Timeout field. If you want to shut off the timeout, enter 0 (zero) minutes. However, it is recommended that you keep the inactivity timeout on for security and automatic backup purposes. Click Save.
A: First, it provides extra security for your confidential data, as it will shut down the program if a person is away from his or her computer for an extended period of time. Second, if you set up external backups to run after hours and a user accidentally stays logged into PMXpert, the Inactivity Timeout will log out that inactive user and allow the backups to run.
A: Yes. PMXpert has several data purging options in the Utilities menu. For more information about utilities and how to use them, refer to Chapter 11: Utilities in the PMXpert User Manual. Remember that any time you run utilities, you should create a complete backup of your data, in addition to the regular data backups you should already be running.
A: Sometimes a quick re-set of your email settings fixes the problem. Try this quick fix before contacting Support.
Open the program and select File | Email Settings. In the Email Settings window, take note of your current settings. Now, go into each field below Email Method (Profile Name, Password, etc.) and delete what is entered in each. When you have blanked out the fields, select None as the Email Method and click Save.
Now, return to the File menu and select Email Settings again. In the Email Settings window, re-set all of the correct options for your Email and click Save. Hopefully, this has corrected the problem with your email. If you are still having problems, contact Support and explain that you already tried re-setting your email settings.
A: A unit is any asset or piece of equipment on which you need to run a preventive maintenance schedule. A unit may be a vehicle, belt, building, room, pump, lathe, crane, or any other asset.
A: In previous versions of PMXpert, assets were referred to as "equipment". An asset can be anything that your company takes care of: vehicle, belt, building, room, pump, lathe, crane, security system, or any other asset.
A: See Chapter 3: Assets, Enter an Asset in the PMXpert User Manual.
A: Find the asset in the Assets screen and view the various tabs. In the PMXpert User Manual, see Chapter 2: Assets, Asset Screen Overview.
A: See Chapter 2: Setting Up PMXpert, Step 6: Services in the PMXpert User Manual.
A: You assign services to an asset in the Assets screen. See Chapter 2: Assets, Assign Services to an Asset.
A: Yes. See Chapter 2: Assets, Copy a Service from One Asset to Another.
A: Edit the asset in the Assets screen. See Chapter 2: Assets, Enter an Asset. Under the General Tab, refer to the instructions related to Meter.
A: See Chapter 7: Meter Update in the PMXpert User Manual.
A: In the PMXpert User Manual, see Chapter 3: Assets, Asset History: Services.
A: In the PMXpert User Manual, see Chapter 3: Assets, Asset History: Costing and Chapter 9: Cost Entry and History.
A: Yes. When entering or editing an asset (piece of equipment) in the Assets screen, there is a Depreciation tab in the Asset [New] or [Edit] form. For more information, refer to the PMXpert User Manual, under Chapter 3: Assets, Enter an Asset. There are two reports related to Depreciation: Asset Value and Asset Depreciation.
A: Yes, you can track the downtimes of your assets. If the downtime is related to a service on a work order, you can record the downtime when you close the service. In the User Manual, see Chapter 6: Work Orders, Close a Work Order Service. If the downtime is not related to a service, you can enter the downtime in the Assets screen. In the User Manual, see Chapter 3: Assets, Asset Downtime. There are two reports related to Downtimes: Asset Downtime and Asset Downtime Hours.
A: Asset meters are automatically updated when you close work order services or enter cost records. However, you can also update them manually in the Assets screen or Meter Update screen. In the User Manual see Chapter 3: Assets, Asset History: Meter, and Chapter 7: Meter Update.
A: Use PMXpert’s Status Codes. When you set up status codes under Setup | Status Codes, select a unique background color for each status. Your custom color-coding scheme allows you to quickly and easily identify the status of each record. For more information about status codes, refer to Chapter 1: Setting Up PMXpert, Step 8: Status Codes in the PMXpert User Manual.
A: Mark the assets as Removed. See Chapter 2: Assets, Find, Edit, View, Remove or Activate an Asset.
A: Activate the asset in the Assets screen. See Chapter 2: Assets, Find, Edit, View, Remove or Activate an Asset.
A: You can create as many services as you need. You first create a master list of service (see Chapter 2: Setting Up PMXpert, Step 6: Services) and then assign them to the appropriate assets (see Chapter 3: Assets, Assign Services to an Asset).
A: For a service's Cycle Type, you can choose Meter, Time, Meter and Time, or None.
A: Yes, you can link services so that if the services both occur within a set window of time and/or meter, the two services will be pulled into the same Work Order, so that the asset only has to go for servicing once, instead of several times in a short period of time. For more information, see Chapter 2: Setting Up PMXpert, Step 6: Services, Linked Services, in the PMXpert User Manual.
A: See Chapter 3: Assets, Assign Services to an Asset in the PMXpert User Manual.
A: The PM Schedule is designed to help you keep you assets properly maintained by making it easy to see which services are due and to create the needed Work Orders. The PM Schedule displays all of the services due up to the date you select. In order to use the PM Schedule, you need to set up your assets with scheduled services. As the services become due (based on time or meter or a combination), they will be automatically pulled into the PM Schedule. Then, you just need to click a button to create Work Orders for the selected services. For more information, see Chapter 5: Generate a Schedule in the PMXpert User Manual.
A: Go to the PM Schedule and locate the service task you want to re-schedule. Remember that you may have to move ahead in the calendar or unselect the 'Show Services Scheduled on This Date Only' option to see the service. Under the Scheduled Date column, click on the date and click the arrow to open the drop-down calendar. Select the new Scheduled Date.
A: You have two options:
(a) View the PM Schedule Screen. See Chapter 4: Generate a Schedule, Review and Sort Scheduled Asset Services
(b) View the Calendar. See Chapter 2: Setting Up PMXpert, Step 12: Setting Calendar Preferences, Calendar Overview.
A: You have three options:
(a) View all Requests - see Chapter 12: Service Request Module, Enter Requests from Requests Screen
(b) View Requests related to assets - see Chapter 2: Assets, Requests in the Assets Screen
(c) View Requests related to work orders - see Chapter 5: Work Orders, Requests in the Work Orders Screen.
A: The PM Schedule allows you to view services due up to a selected date, select the services you want to add to Work Orders, and generate the Work Orders with one click. In the PMXpert User Manual, see Chapter 5: Generate a Schedule, Generate Work Orders from Scheduled Services.
A: Yes. Refer to the PMXpert User Manual at Chapter 6: Work Orders, Create Work Orders.
A: If you generated the Work Order from the PM Schedule screen, the work order would automatically pull in the relevant services. However, you can still add services manually. Refer to the PMXpert User Manual, Chapter 6: Work Orders, Add Services, Procedures and Details to a Work Order.
A: To close a service, see Chapter 6: Work Orders, Close a Work Order Service in the PMXpert User Manual. To close the entire work order, see Chapter 6: Work Orders, Close a Work Order.
A: In the PMXpert User Manual, see Chapter 10: Reports, Print Reports.
A: Use PMXpert’s Status Codes. When you set up status codes under Setup | Status Codes, select a unique background color for each status. Your custom color-coding scheme allows you to quickly and easily identify the status of each record. For more information about status codes, refer to Chapter 1: Setting Up PMXpert, Step 8: Status Codes in the PMXpert User Manual.
A: If you don’t need to see the Asset Downtime, Service Details, Requests, and Service Notes screen when closing a Work Order Service, you can hide them. In your System Settings, go to the Work Orders tab. Under the heading "When Closing a Work Order Service, Show the Following Tabs", unselect the checkboxes next to the screens you want to skip. Remember to click Save before you leave the System Settings screen.
A: Enter the cost in the Cost Entry screen. See Chapter 8: Cost Entry and History, Enter Miscellaneous Costs.
A: All contact information can be stored in your Address Book. To learn how to set up your Address Book and keep contact information organized, refer to the PMXpert User Manual under Chapter 2: Setting Up PMXpert, Step 9: Address Book.
A: Both. For example, Suppliers would probably be external companies, but you may want to enter information about your internal Locations and Departments so that you can track where assets are and which department is in charge of them. Operators and Labor may be internal staff members, but you may also have some external contractors that can be classified as operators or labor.
A: If you classify a company as a supplier, you can indicate which inventory items they supply. When you record inventory items, you can select the supplier(s) from a list generated from your Address Book. In the PMXpert User Manual, refer to Chapter 4: Inventory, Record Suppliers of Inventory Items.
A: Yes. PMXpert can be used to record inventory - and, if you set minimum levels for inventory items, PMXpert can automatically generate the Purchase Orders you need. To learn how to set up your inventory, see Chapter 4: Inventory and Chapter 8: Purchase Orders in the PMXpert Manual.
A: As you record day-to-day activities in PMXpert, you will use up inventory items as "Details" in services, and PMXpert will automatically calculate how many items remain in stock (if the item has been set up as inventory-controlled). When an inventory item hits its set minimum level, it will trigger an automatic purchase order that can be generated from the Purchase Orders screen. For more detailed information, consult the User Manual at Chapter 4: Inventory, Enter Inventory, and Chapter 8: Purchase Orders, Generate Purchase Orders Automatically.
A: Yes. Refer to Chapter 8: Purchase Orders, Create Purchase Orders Manually, in the PMXpert User Manual.
A: Use PMXpert’s Status Codes. When you set up status codes under Setup | Status Codes, select a unique background color for each status. Your custom color-coding scheme allows you to quickly and easily identify the status of each record. For example, as a Purchase Order moves through the stages of opened, authorized, back-ordered and received, you can identify the current Status in the upper right corner of the Purchase Orders screen.
A: There are over 40 hard-coded reports in PMXpert that cover a variety of information, including Assets, Work Orders, Inventory, Costing, and Setup. You can also customize any report or create an entirely new report to arrange the data the way you want (previous report-building experience required).
A: Yes. There are over 40 stock reports.
A: No. PMXpert comes with built-in tools to customize and create new reports.
A: Yes, for many reports, but not all. It depends on the context of the report.
A: Yes, many reports have different options you can choose before printing the report. For example, for some reports, you can choose to view certain types of items or exclude other types of items. You can also filter many of the reports so that only certain records appear. If the report still does not display the exact information you want, reports can be customized to arrange the information in an unlimited number of ways (previous report-building experienced required).
A: To learn how to run and print any of PMXpert’s reports, see Chapter 10: Reports in the PMXpert User Manual.
A: Your company information on reports, such as company name, address, phone number, etc., is drawn from your Software License, which you cannot change by yourself. To change the information in your Software License, please email the PMXpert Software Administration Department at Business@PMXpert.com. In the email, explain that you want to change the contact information on your license. Please provide the proper company name, address, city, state/province, zip/postal code, phone and fax number. If there are any particular details - e.g. you want the phone number to appear as (306) 975-3737, not 306-975-3737 - please include those instructions.
Remember that you can adjust your logo and the position of your company information in reports in your System Settings. Go to Setup | System Settings, and click on the Reports and Logo tabs.
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